Nazeing Primary School

Nazeing Primary School Inspection report

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114972 Unique Reference Number Essex Local Authority 326102 Inspection number 10–11 June 2009 Inspection dates Helen Ranger Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The registered childcare, managed by the governing body, was inspected under section 49 of the Childcare Act 2006.

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Primary Type of school Community School category 4–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 251 School (total) 0 Government funded early education provision for children aged 3 to the end of the EYFS 0 Childcare provision for children aged 0 to 3 years The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Melanie Seymour Chair Miss Cheryl Macleod Headteacher 13 June 2006 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Hyde Mead School address Nazeing Waltham Abbey Essex EN9 2HS 01992 893344 Telephone number 01992 893945 Fax number

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4–11 Age group 10–11 June 2009 Inspection dates 326102 Inspection number .

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. 2 of 11 Inspection Report: Nazeing Primary School, 10–11 June 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three additional inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is an average sized primary school. Pupils come from a wide range of backgrounds, mostly from the local area, although several families travel from some distance from choice. About a quarter of pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds and a small number are learning English as an additional language. Nine per cent of pupils are from Traveller families. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/ or disabilities is average. When children join the Early Years Foundation Stage in the Reception classes, their attainment varies considerably and is often below the levels expected nationally. The numbers of pupils moving in and out of the school are quite high. A significant minority of pupils join part way through their primary schooling. Many of the Traveller pupils come and go at various times of the year. The school holds National Healthy Schools, Artsmark and Activemark awards. Nazeing Pre-School, an independently run setting, operates on the site.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Nazeing Primary School, 10–11 June 2009

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Grade: 2

When last inspected, the school was described as 'improving rapidly'. The improvements have continued and the school is accurate in its evaluation that its overall effectiveness is now good. The headteacher, senior staff and governors have provided stability and continuity for pupils. In particular, they have developed effective systems for assessing and monitoring pupils' individual progress and for ensuring that this is built on effectively year by year. Parents' views are generally very positive and summed up by one who wrote, 'Children leave the school with a good all round level of education'. Pupils achieve well academically. The standards reached by the Year 6 pupils in national tests in the three years since the last inspection have steadily risen to above average. Pupils make good progress in key skills compared with their starting points. However, standards in reading, mathematics and science are better than in writing. To improve writing, staff have identified

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Grade: 2

the need to develop pupils' vocabulary further and to provide stimulating activities that engage pupils' imagination. Pupils do well in their personal development and well-being, including their behaviour and overall spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding. Pastoral care is good. Parents are highly positive about how much their children enjoy school and this is evident in lessons and in the playground. Pupils are especially enthusiastic about the many opportunities for sporting and social activities and show an excellent appreciation of a healthy lifestyle. They are active in their school council and participate in many activities in the local area. Staff have continued to develop the quality of teaching, learning and the curriculum well. These aspects of provision are good and have contributed effectively to the rise in standards. However, in planning lessons, adults do not take sufficient account of the evidence from activities such

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Grade: 2

as clubs and sports that pupils are capable of working very well independently and in teams. Teachers do not include enough opportunities for pupils to develop such skills further in their lessons. Academic support and guidance are mostly good. Adults generally give pupils useful feedback through class discussions and marking on what they have learned. They do not as consistently specify individuals' next small steps in learning. Nor do they encourage pupils often enough to assess their own performance or to reflect on and respond to written marking. Good leadership and management underpin the school's achievements. The track record of recent years shows a good capacity for improvement in the future. Staff morale is high. Governors are active and experienced and support the school's work well. Staff with extra responsibilities carry out their monitoring roles more rigorously than in the past. The school

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Grade: 2

sets challenging targets for further improvement. Wide-ranging development plans are in place. However, the criteria for judging the success of the initiatives contained in such plans do not outline clearly enough how the school expects pupils' learning to improve as a result of any action.

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Grade: 2

From starting points that are often at the lower end of the range expected for their age, children make good progress in all areas of learning. Nearly all reach the expected goals by the end of Reception. The school has very good induction arrangements that help the children to settle quickly. These give the January intake a good opportunity to experience the same activities as 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Nazeing Primary School, 10–11 June 2009 their older classmates. Nevertheless, children who start school in September achieve higher levels at the end of the Reception year than those who start in January and the school is working to close this gap. Staff focus effectively on developing the children's self-confidence and self-esteem, ready for the new challenges in Year 1. Care and support for their well-being are good, though on occasion adults give the children too much support, preventing them from

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Grade: 2

developing important self-help skills. However, children are able to make some independent choices from the varied range of learning activities, both indoors and outside. Leadership and management are good. The school has adopted more focused assessment procedures this year that track the children's progress closely. As a result, adults are much clearer about what the children know and can do and what each individual needs to learn next. They use the information well to target the children's learning, especially in small group work. The Reception action plan includes specific tasks that the school needs to do to improve further but does not detail precise enough criteria against which the school can monitor its success. The Foundation Stage leader also has limited time to monitor that what adults have planned is being implemented consistently well.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve pupils' writing by developing their vocabulary and stimulating their imagination and creativity. ■ Develop pupils' ability to work independently and to take initiative, including in how they reflect on and improve the quality of their learning. ■ Ensure initiatives for development are based on criteria for judging success that specify clearly the improvements expected in pupils' learning.

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Grade: 2

Records of pupils' individual performance show that current classes continue to make good progress towards their academic targets. They build systematically on their learning as they move through the school and the standards reached at the end of each key stage often exceed local authority averages. Pupils make good progress, compared with their attainment when they start in the school. This is because they are taught well according to their needs. Any who are at risk of underachieving are identified quickly and appropriate support or challenge are provided. Groups such as those who find learning difficult, those learning to speak English and the more able pupils achieve well as a result. The small number of pupils with statements of special educational need do very well because their individual learning programmes are planned meticulously. Traveller pupils make good progress when they are in school and staff make great

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Grade: 2

efforts to provide continuity in education for this group by maintaining contact with them when they are away if possible.

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Grade: 2

Pupils know that the school expects them to behave well and they generally do. They know that bullying is wrong and are confident that, if adults know they have a concern, it will be sorted out quickly. As a result, pupils feel safe in school. Pupils have positive attitudes to learning. Attendance has improved well over recent years and is currently higher than the most recent national average. The school continues to work with the small number of families who do not ensure their children attend as often as they should. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Nazeing Primary School, 10–11 June 2009 upils have an excellent understanding of the importance of eating healthily and keeping fit and active, reflected in the large number who participate in the extensive range of sporting events both in and out of school. Although opportunities for independence in lessons are sometimes too limited, pupils make an excellent contribution to the school community at other

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Grade: 2

times, such as through school council activities, looking after the courtyard during gardening club and playing with younger pupils at playtimes. They are developing a good understanding of local and global citizenship through charitable work, links with African and European schools and participation in local council events and celebrations. Pupils have good skills to support them in the future and are well prepared for secondary school.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. They have improved since the last inspection because senior staff regularly monitor lessons and pupils' work and advise on how they can be developed. A key improvement has been in ensuring that planning more precisely meets the need of the wide range of ages and abilities in each class. Lessons have become more focused on individual needs as the systems to assess and track progress have been established and used to support lesson plans. The teachers and teaching assistants liaise well in planning activities. Teachers' expectations of pupils' performance have risen and additional support is mainly targeted efficiently. However, the teaching assistants' time is not always used to the full, for example to monitor whether pupils have acquired a particular learning objective during whole-class discussions. There are some excellent examples of teachers enabling pupils to work alone or in

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Grade: 2

teams without direct adult input. However, this feature is inconsistent between classes, with some pupils being too reliant on adults for help.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum contains all that it should, including well planned opportunities to promote pupils' skills in speaking and listening, literacy and mathematics. Improvements in resources for information and communication technology are apparent and these are supporting pupils' progress effectively. Themed weeks that include personal education, health, safety, arts and multi-cultural activities provide enrichment across the curriculum. Improved links between what is taught in the Reception year and Year 1 are currently being planned. Good adaptations are made to address the needs of pupils who find learning difficult and those learning to speak English. Staff tailor the curriculum well to take account of the attendance patterns of the Traveller pupils. What is taught is enhanced effectively with opportunities such as learning French in Years 3 to 6 and swimming in the school's own heated pool. As the area around the

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Grade: 2

school has many watercourses, this is an example of how good leadership has tailored the curriculum to specific local requirements. The provision of Spanish, as one of many out-of-school activities, is another. Lunchtime and after-school activities include sports, music and a wide range of interesting clubs for pupils of different age groups. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Nazeing Primary School, 10–11 June 2009

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Grade: 2

Good pastoral care is a hallmark of the school and parents are positive about this aspect of provision. There are effective links with pre-school settings which enable children to settle quickly when they start school. The school's comprehensive procedures for safeguarding pupils and ensuring their health, safety and welfare meet requirements. The school is effective in looking after vulnerable pupils and manages this provision well. There are good links with external agencies to support pupils who need specialist help. These include very effective arrangements for Traveller pupils that are valued highly by the parents of this group. The individual plans for pupils who need extra adult help are of good quality. Academic guidance and support are good overall but inconsistent. Some teachers give pupils specific advice about why a particular piece of work is good and about how pupils can improve their work. Others

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Grade: 2

give only general feedback about achievement, and not often enough linked to pupils' own targets. As a result, not all pupils are clear enough about why they have done well and what they now need to do to improve their work.

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Grade: 2

The headteacher's positive and purposeful style of leadership promotes high quality relationships and effective teamwork. Staff have established an inclusive school which has a clear focus on welcoming and supporting each individual child. The school promotes community cohesion well, with a comprehensive policy and on-going evaluation of the impact of its practice. Very productive local partnerships have been established that benefit pupils, such as links with nearby schools and sports bodies. There is a good partnership with parents, although some say they would appreciate even closer links with the school. Although monitoring is not currently based on rigorous enough criteria of how pupils' learning benefits from initiatives, most other aspects of school self-evaluation have improved well. For example, subject leaders have a much greater understanding of how to assess and analyse pupils' progress data. Staff carry out regular checks of teaching and learning through looking

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Grade: 2

at lessons and pupils' work and by talking to pupils and staff about provision. The school has a good record of recruiting and retaining governors. They hold the school to account and contribute well to its further development. They are led well by a knowledgeable and active chairperson and carry out a programme of regular monitoring. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Nazeing Primary School, 10–11 June 2009 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Nazeing Primary School, 10–11 June 2009

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Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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needs of learners?

Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well being? 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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EYFS?

2 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 2 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 2 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 2 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 2 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make progress

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Achievement and standards

1 Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Nazeing Primary School, 10–11 June 2009

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 2 The behaviour of learners 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 2 How well does the school contribute to community cohesion? How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Nazeing Primary School, 10–11 June 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

12 June 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of Nazeing Primary School, Nazeing, Waltham Abbey EN9 2HS Thank you very much for looking after the inspection team when we visited your school recently. We really enjoyed meeting you and speaking to so many of you. These are some of the best things we found out about your school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Children in the Reception classes get a good start to school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You enjoy coming to school, behave well and make good progress.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You especially like the clubs and special events that the staff provide.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You are cared for and taught well and have plenty of interesting activities in lessons.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You have an excellent understanding of how to lead a healthy lifestyle by eating sensibly, having fun together and making the most of so many opportunities for sport and exercise. ■ The teachers have set up good systems for checking that you all achieve well and have some extra adult help if you need it. ■ Miss MacLeod makes sure the staff and governors help your school to keep getting better.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Yours is a good school. We have asked the adults to look at the following few ways of improving it further.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Help you improve your writing skills by extending your vocabulary and giving you exciting and interesting writing activities. ■ Expect you to be more independent in class and check for yourselves what you need to improve next. ■ Make sure that any changes the adults plan really help you to learn more quickly and reach higher standards. To help your school with this, we are sure that you can try even harder with your writing and can take more responsibility for your own learning during lessons. Best wishes for the future. Yours faithfully Helen Ranger Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Nazeing Primary School, 10–11 June 2009

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